I am a citizen of this planet, who believes there is a purpose and mission to our existence. I pursue that mission and try to enjoy every lesson, every day, and every last drop of the pain and joy we drink when we live. I live a mostly regret-free life, with each failure quickly becoming a valuable experience and something to laugh about, and every success something about which to be thankful and celebrative. I do all of this in and around my beloved Berkeley, California.

4/25/2007

Lunch With Lotfi

I went to see my friend, Professor Lotfi Zadeh for lunch yesterday (which explains why I was falling asleep in that afternoon meeting). He is so sweet and so alert. He is 86 years old, but you wouldn’t know it looking at him. We talked about politics, the University, and men. He says he is an expert on relationships! He gives very practical and unbiased advice, and that is refreshing. I am honored to have Lotfi as a friend.
He told me a new joke. He said a man told his wife that he wants a divorce and wants to move to Bolivia. His wife asked him why Bolivia? He said because he has heard that in Bolivia, women pay their husbands $25 each time they have sex. She said to him that if this is what he wants to do, he can have the divorce, but is he quite sure he can live on $25 a month?
I had left my camera at home. Next time I see him, I’ll be sure to take it and show you how dapper he looks. He had a white hat on that read Bank of America across it. When we entered the restaurant on the north side and he noticed that we had to wait in line for a long time, he picked up his hat and quite artfully threw it on a table, reserving it for when we picked up our food! It was a sight to see!
(See my previous post about him, http://nazykaviani.blogspot.com/2007/03/fuzzy.html)

2 comments:

Yes, Serendip. He is a genius and a mentor to many other gifted engineers and inventors in the world. The important thing about this unique character is that he did not make a dime off of his ideas, put all of his learnings into the public domain, and continues to support and lead scientists and research teams all over the world. I am truly honored to know him. Now you see how lucky I feel in my friends, present company included my friend!